Mary's Big Night
by Halcyon37
Summary: Mary is put to the test after causing a car accident that seriously injures her sister, Lucy. UPDATED!! Chapter 6 added. Hope you enjoy and sorry it's taken so long to update.
1. The Party

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the 7th Heaven series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.  
  
None of these characters belong to me, they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda…  
  
******  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Mary had always been the "bad" one. Granted, she knew she had made some mistakes: trashing the school gym, getting fired from job after job, the financial problems that resulted from her job instability. But all of those troubles seemed trivial compared to what she was facing now. She knew her parents and siblings were able to forgive her previous mistakes, but she knew what she had done tonight could never, never be forgiven, least of all by herself.  
  
*****  
  
Mary and Lucy had enrolled together at Crawford Community College at the beginning of the year. Lucy had always seemed so sure of what she wanted to do. She had planned out which classes to take during the coming two years so she could transfer to a better school back east in her junior year.  
  
Next to Lucy, Mary felt like a loser. She didn't really know what classes to take, there was nothing in particular that interested her. But Lucy had encouraged Mary to enroll anyway, unlike Mom and Dad who made her feel obligated to go to college. Plus having her sister there brought back some of the old high-school rivalry which helped both of them to stay motivated.  
  
During their two semesters at Crawford, Lucy has excelled in the grades department while Mary had done better on the social scene. Thanks to Mary's connections, the two of them had found themselves invited to a cool frat party.  
  
At first, Lucy had been totally against going to a party on a school night. But Mary knew the magic words that would get her sister to come with her: hunky boys! As soon as she told Lucy that Ben and Kevin, two cute guys from their math class, would be there, Lucy couldn't wait for Thursday night.  
  
Before the party, Lucy had tried on at least 10 outfits trying to find the "right" one.  
  
"Come on Lucy, it's just a party, no on is really going to pay that much attention to what you wear," said Mary impatiently.  
  
Lucy replied, "You never know when you might meet Mr. Right and I want to make my best impression. Plus, you know I've had a secret crush on Kevin for months, tonight's outfit might just encourage him to finally ask me out."  
  
Mary thought Lucy had been reading too much of The Rules again, but was happy when her younger sister was finally ready to go.  
  
*****  
  
When they reached the party, the sisters decided to separate so they could talk with their friends who were at the party. But they agreed to meet at 12:30 at the door so they could get home before their parents' curfew of 1:00.  
  
Mary took a look around at the other party guests, looking for someone she knew. Suddenly someone came up behind her, covered her eyes and asked "Guess who?".  
  
She replied immediately, "Don't even think you can fool me like that Ben."  
  
"How did you know it was me?"  
  
"I just have a sixth sense for these kinds of things. Plus your cheap cologne gave it away."  
  
"Alright, enough with the wisecracks, smartass! Can I get you a beer? There's a keg out back with your name on it."  
  
Mary had never really been a drinker, but she figured one beer couldn't hurt. And besides wasn't discovering new things part of the "college experience"?  
  
Ben came back with Mary's beer, and he began introducing her to his frat brothers. They talked about sports, school, teachers… The time seemed to fly by and before she knew it, it was 12:45. She told Ben and his friends that she had to be home by 1:00 or her parents would freak. They said goodnight and Ben said he couldn't wait to see her in class the next day.  
  
Mary felt a little funny walking to the door to meet Lucy. She wondered if it could be the beer. But she thought to herself, "It's not like I drank a lot. Ben did refill my cup a couple of times, but it was never totally empty. I couldn't have drunk more than two beers in total. It's not like I'm drunk or anything." She did her best to keep her cool as she approached Lucy who was already waiting at the door.  
  
"Sorry I'm late Lucy, I didn't notice the time," said Mary, hoping she wasn't slurring her words or anything.  
  
Luckily Lucy was on cloud nine and didn't seem to notice any difference in Mary's behavior. She couldn't stop talking about Kevin, the guy in their math class that Lucy had been watching out all semester. He, like Lucy, was majoring in religious studies, but hoped to get into the police training program once he got his degree. Evidently he and Lucy had really hit it off. She was convinced that he was "Mr. Right" and they already had plans for the following Saturday night. "Of course I couldn't accept for this Saturday," Lucy said "because you should never accept a date for the coming weekend after Wednesday. Otherwise you will just look desperate."  
  
"Whatever," thought Mary, as she got into the driver's seat of the car. She wasn't sure if she should really be driving, but she figured it wasn't too far and didn't really want a lecture from Lucy about drinking. It was just a couple of beers after all, and all college kids do it.  
  
*****  
  
On the ride home, Lucy wouldn't stop going on and on about every detail of her conversation with Kevin. Mary tried to concentrate on the road, but with Lucy's yapping and the woozy feeling in her head, she was swerving a bit.  
  
Lucy asked "Are you alright Mary? Do you want me to drive?"  
  
"No, it's okay, I'm just a little tired, that's all. Besides we're almost home," replied Mary.  
  
It was true. They were almost home. Mary was having more and more trouble concentrating on the route and it seemed suddenly out of nowhere a red light appeared. She didn't really remember exactly what happened, just the screeching of the van's tires and the crunch of metal as a car rammed into the passenger side of the vehicle.  
  
Mary couldn't believe it, they were this close to the house and she had been so stupid to run the red light. She knew she would be in trouble this time for totaling the van. She looked over to see how Lucy was and couldn't believe her eyes. Her sister was there in the passenger seat, twisted and crumpled and bleeding.  
  
Mary started to panic. She noticed the people in the other car coming towards her. She jumped out and yelled "Call 911, my sister is bleeding to death!"  
  
When the police and ambulance arrived, emergency workers immediately extracted Lucy from the car and whisked her off to the hospital. Mary wanted to follow, but the police insisted she come down to the station for a few questions. She knew that wasn't a good sign especially when she noticed the other driver was being let go.  
  
*****  
  
Once at the station, she was made to wait in a small room with nothing but a table with a machine on it and a few chairs. She wondered when all of this was going to be over. She didn't mean to run the red light, it was an accident after all. She couldn't help thinking that if she had just listened to Lucy in the first place, she wouldn't be here right now. She should have just stayed home and finished her homework, like her sister had originally wanted to do.  
  
Finally she saw a figure behind the glass door and her father's friend Detective Michaels entered carrying a plastic baggy with what looked like a pipe inside.  
  
"Hello Mary," Detective Michaels said, "I'm afraid we've got a serious problem on our hands here. The driver of the other car told me he smelled alcohol on your breath, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a breathalizer."  
  
"Do I have to agree to this?" asked Mary.  
  
"Yes, otherwise we will be obliged to take a blood sample, and no consent is needed. So why don't you just go ahead and take the breathalizer test. It'll be less painful for us both."  
  
Detective Michaels took out the pipe, hooked it up to the machine on the table and asked Mary to blow into it for 30 seconds.  
  
Mary complied and after 30 seconds nervously asked Detective Michaels about the results.  
  
"Well, the test shows you at .09%, Mary. It's below the legal limit, but it's still proof that you were drinking and driving tonight. I must say I am disappointed in you. You put both you and your sister's lives in jeopardy tonight, not to mention the lives of other innocent people on the road."  
  
"Are you going to tell my dad?"  
  
"No. You're going to do it yourself. Reverend Camden is on his way over here and Annie is already on the way to the hospital to see your sister. Legally I can't press charges for drinking and driving since you were below the legal limit, but I will be giving you a ticket for causing an accident. I hope tonight will serve as a warning for you in the future and I pray to God your sister pulls out okay. From what the officers at the scene told me, she looks to be in pretty bad shape."  
  
"Thank you Detective Michaels," says Mary as she saw her father's figure behind the frosted glass door.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone now," Detective Michaels said as he stood to leave.  
  
Reverend Camden took his oldest daughter into his arms, "Mary, you can't believe how relieved I am to see that you're okay. When we got the call from the police we were so worried."  
  
"Before you start, there's something I need to tell you Dad. The accident tonight was my fault, I ran a red light and… "  
  
"It's okay honey, we know it was your fault, but the most important is that you're ok."  
  
"Wait Dad, that's not all. I had been drinking before getting behind the wheel tonight. I had a few beers at the party. I thought I was okay to drive, but I guess I wasn't. I'm so sorry Dad," Mary cried into her father's arms.  
  
Reverend Camden stiffened when he heard this news, "I'm really disappointed in you Mary. You should have let Lucy drive, called a taxi or even us. You know drinking and driving is not an option."  
  
"I know Dad, but I wasn't drunk. And since the house isn't very far, I thought it would be okay."  
  
"We'll talk about this later. We'd better get to the hospital to see how your sister is doing." 


	2. The Hospital

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the 7th Heaven series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.  
  
None of these characters belong to me, they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda…  
  
******  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
When Mary and her father reached the hospital, they found Annie frantically pacing up and down the hall of the intensive care ward.  
  
As soon as she saw the two of them approaching, she ran to Mary and hugged her. But her affection didn't last, as she grabbed Mary's forearms, looked her in the eye and said angrily, "How could you have done something like this to your sister? Don't you ever think, Mary?"  
  
"Please, keep your voice down, Annie. We'll have plenty of time to talk about this later. Right now, we need to focus on Lucy," said Eric in a soothing tone. He knew he had to calm his wife's anger. If she knew the whole story of what had happened tonight, there's no telling what she would do, even right here in the hospital.  
  
"You're right," replied Annie all the while keeping her angry gaze fixed on Mary.  
  
Just then, a doctor with blood-stained scrubs came bursting out of the IC unit. She came towards the Camdens while snapping off her rubber gloves, also covered with blood.  
  
"Hi. I'm Doctor Glass. You're the Camdens, right?," without even waiting for a reply, the young doctor continued, "I've been looking after your daughter, Lucy. She's got a lot of internal bleeding and she's going to need emergency surgery. I'm just going to need you to sign a consent form before we send her up to the OR."  
  
"Well, I'm not signing anything until Dr. Hastings gets here and explains everything to me!" shouted Annie angrily, attracting attention from the other families waiting in the hall. She continued, "I know nothing about your medical training, and besides you look pretty young to be here. What are you, an intern or something?" Annie turned to her husband and snapped "This is not the kind of person I want working on MY daughter!"  
  
"Calm down Annie, calm down. I'm sure Hank will be here any minute. Until then, let's just listen to what Dr. Glass has to say. If she wasn't competent, she certainly wouldn't be here right now."  
  
"Yeah, that's what you said about that doctor who tried to kill me and Matt too!" retorted Annie hotly.  
  
"Well, the two of you can discuss my credentials all night if you want to. But the fact is, your daughter is lying on a bed in there bleeding to death. So the two of you had better make a decision. Like I said, there is severe internal bleeding and the ultrasound shows extensive damage to the right kidney. If we get her up to the OR fast enough, there's a good chance we can save your daughter, but in cases like these, every second counts."  
  
"I don't care what she says," stated Annie angrily. "I refuse to listen to this inexperienced intern. When Hank gets here, I am going to make sure the whole hospital knows about how badly we were treated. How my daughter received second-rate care from lowly interns. This is a disgrace!"  
  
"I only need one parent's signature," said Doctor Glass turning to look Eric in the eye. "If your daughter dies, it won't be the hospital that's responsible, but you."  
  
Eric knew what he was risking going against his wife. But he figured the risk of losing Lucy was greater than Annie's wrath. He grabbed the paper and quickly signed where Dr. Glass indicated.  
  
At this Annie became hysterical and started screaming at her husband, "Just what do you think you're doing! Since when do you know what's better for MY children than I do!"  
  
Reverend Camden just turned away from his wife and went to sit on one of the benches with his head in his hands.  
  
*****  
  
Mary had backed away from her parents and the doctor once the discussion got heated. She had found an empty chair at the end of the hall and was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She knew better than to approach her mother when she was like that. Her "mood swings," as the family liked to call them, had always been there. But it seemed they had gotten worse and more frequent since her mom had begun experiencing "changes."  
  
As Mary was sitting in the chair, she couldn't stop thinking back about what had happened tonight. She knew that once her mother found out about her drinking tonight, she would never be forgiven. And maybe she was right. Everything had been her fault, after all. If she had never convinced Lucy to come to the party, the two of them would have been safely at home, doing homework or studying for finals.  
  
"When did I get so stupid?" Mary thought to herself, "It seems like the only thing I'm good at, is screwing things up. Ever since high-school, all I've done is screw up my life. And now look what I've done, I've screwed up Lucy's too."  
  
After her Mom's reaction tonight, Mary didn't think her Dad would risk telling Annie the truth about what really happened tonight. But she knew her mom would find out somehow, someday. Probably Ruthie would tell her. She had an uncanny way of knowing everyone's deepest darkest secrets. And she never hid anything from their mom.  
  
Anyway, it wouldn't really matter if her mom knew the truth. Drinking or no drinking, it was Mary who had been behind the wheel, Mary who wrecked the car, Mary who had put her sister in the hospital. She knew that it was already too much for her mother and the rest of her family to forgive. 


	3. The Ride Home

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the 7th Heaven series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.  
  
None of these characters belong to me, they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
Mary and Reverend Camden drove home from the hospital in silence. Neither one of them knew what to say. It had been a difficult night already and they both knew that more trouble and anxiety awaited them at home.  
  
*****  
  
Eric didn't know what he was going to tell his other children, not only about Lucy's accident but also about their mother. He knew that Matt had always been a "Momma's Boy" and would never fully believe what had happened tonight. He was also worried for the twins, Sam and David. How was he going to explain that Mommy wouldn't be there to tuck them in tonight. But it was Ruthie that worried Eric the most. He knew she would accept Annie's absence without question, but it her acceptance, her cold detachment from the family that largely troubled Eric.  
  
After he had signed the consent form to treat Lucy, Annie had kept quiet. But he had seen the anger in her eyes, he had known exactly what was going to happen. He remembered that look from a long time ago, when they were still courting, and Annie got angry about something he had done. It's funny that he couldn't even remember what it was now. But in all his years of counseling, he had never seen someone as angry as Annie had been that day. Since then, Eric had never dared to go against Annie's wishes, at least not until today.  
  
When Dr. Hastings finally arrived, Annie was the first to confront him.  
  
"Hank, I'm so glad you're here. How is my baby? Do you have any news about Lucy?" demanded Annie. "Do you realize that they sent her off with some orderly or something? What are hospitals coming to these days when just anyone is allowed to treat patients?"  
  
"Just calm down, Annie. Dr. Glass is actually one of our best and most experienced emergency care doctors. You've got nothing to worry about, she's in good hands," replied Hank.  
  
"Well, I don't really care what you or anyone thinks about her. Now that you're here, you can take over the operation, right?"  
  
"Well, it doesn't really work like that Annie. Lucy is Dr. Glass' patient and I really feel that she's better off that way. You know as well as I do that emergency medicine is not my specialty. But on the other hand, if she was ready to go into labor, I could give her a hand with that," joked Dr. Hastings.  
  
"I don't care what your specialty is. And it's obvious you're under that witch's spell, just like he is," said Annie, jerking a finger towards Eric. "You are going to that operating room and you are taking over! I WILL NOT have that witch operating on my baby!"  
  
"Take it easy Annie. Like I was saying, Dr. Glass."  
  
"Stop telling me what to do!! I don't want to hear another word about this so-called Dr. Glass. I don't believe she's even a real doctor! I want a qualified professional in there right now!"  
  
"Excuse me, but do you think you could try to keep your voice down, or go somewhere else for your discussion?" a nurse briskly asked. "We've got patients in here that really need to rest. Thank you."  
  
"And you don't think my daughter needs rest!" Annie retorted. "MY daughter, MY baby is in this hospital somewhere, probably dying. And it's all the fault of this hospital and the shoddy staff!"  
  
"I'm sorry M'am, but if you don't follow my instructions, I'm going to have to call security," the nurse calmly replied. She shot a look at Dr. Hastings that seemed to say "Who is this freak?".  
  
"I have every right to be here, and your threats don't scare me in the least. In fact, Hank was just going to take me to see my daughter. She's very, very sick and he's going to take care of her. Right, Hank?"  
  
Hank looked over at the nurse who was giving him a puzzled look. "Umm. Annie, I think I already explained that Lucy is Dr. Glass' patient. But if it will make you feel better, I'll go up to surgery and see how things are going so far."  
  
With that statement, Annie lost what little control remained. "You don't understand!" Annie cried as she took a swing at Hank. "That's MY baby up there, MY child, the flesh of MY womb!! Now go get into your doctor's outfit and make her better!" she continued as she pummeled into Hank. "I won't have that whore stealing my husband and my child!"  
  
The nurse had called security right away as soon as Annie began making a physical attack on Dr. Hastings. She had never seen a woman with as much power as Annie, she didn't dare try to break them up.  
  
Security quickly arrived. Annie was tranquilized and taken to the psychiatric ward for the evening, at least. And it all happened without one word from her husband, Eric. During the whole scene, he sat lamely on the hospital chair, unable to do or say anything in his wife's defense.  
  
*****  
  
Mary had never seen Annie react the way she did tonight. Of course, everyone in the family had experienced her "mood swings," but tonight's outburst had been more. She had also never seen her Eric stand up to Annie either. Maybe that was why she lost it. Mary knew all too well the price of defying Annie, and she had a newfound respect for her father. She also had a feeling that their lives would never be the same again. 


	4. The Sleepless Night

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site. 

This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the _7th Heaven _series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.

None of these characters belong to me,  they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda…

**********

**CHAPTER FOUR**

          That night Mary lie awake thinking in her bed. It was around 3am when she and her father had arrived home. Matt had been waiting for them half-asleep on the couch. 

*****

          "So how's Lucy," asked Matt, "and where's Mom?"

          Eric replied only, "She's sleeping at the hospital tonight. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow morning."

          "Oh, well maybe I should head over to the hospital to be with Mom tonight, then. I don't think she should be alone at a time like this, do you?" 

          "I really don't think it's necessary Matt. She's got the whole hospital staff to look after her," replied Eric ironically. "Now let's get to bed. We've all had a tough night and there's just more to come tomorrow morning."

*****

          Mary couldn't believe her father hadn't told Matt the truth about what had happened at the hospital. She thought about how Matt would take the news of Annie's "breakdown." She also wondered what she was going to tell him tomorrow morning. Should she tell him the whole truth about what happened and risk his judgment of her? Would Dad tell him everything behind her back? She really dreaded the inevitable confrontation between her and her older brother. 

*****

When she had been a kid, Mary had really looked up to Matt. He had always been there to help her out when she needed it. However, in junior high and high school she had begun to resent his brotherly presence. He seemed to always be prying into her life, especially her personal life. She remembered one time he had even talked to a boy she had a crush on without her knowing. His name was Morris and he had a bit of a bad reputation around school for getting a little "fresh" with girls. One day, Morris began to ignore her completely, she had never understood why. Later, she heard that Matt had warned him to stay away from her, or else. Mary never knew what Matt's idea of "or else" was, but it had been enough to end the short-lived romance and the interest of practically every other boy throughout those four hard years of junior high. 

High school had been a little better. Mary had joined the basketball team and had finally found a place where she belonged. She had had a few brief romances, but nothing really serious since Matt was still constantly lurking and surveying her love life, even once he was away at college. Although she was pretty popular, there was one mortifying experience she had never been able to live down. It was a video Matt had made for his health class. Her big brother had secretly taped private conversations of her and Annie talking about sex. To this day, some people around Glenoak still called out "Thar' she blows" when they saw her. It wasn't her fault really. Annie had said she could ask about anything, and she had always wondered what a blowjob was. Although she was surprised to find out that it didn't involve a hairdryer.

Thinking back on her high school years, Mary began to wonder if her repressive family wasn't in some part to blame for her problems. If only they had given her a little bit of freedom, if only Annie and Matt hadn't been on her back all the time maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to rebel so strongly. She realized now that TPing the school gym had not been the brightest idea, but it wasn't that serious, really. But her family had treated her like vandalism was right up there with murder. Afterwards she had felt like her family's unconditional love suddenly had conditions. Things were never the same between Annie and her again and her resentment of Matt had only grown bigger. One problem had led to another and she had found herself spinning into a black hole. 

Mary remembered the "intervention" her parents had organized to announce her immediate departure for Buffalo. It was strange to remember how angry and bitter her family had been towards her. Annie and Matt couldn't stop saying how disappointed they were in her, laying on guilt trip after guilt trip. Simon had sulked about the money she owed him. Of course the twins hadn't said anything, they were too young at the time to really understand, but she thought they probably felt the tension in the family relations all the same. It had been the reaction of Ruthie that had surprised her the most. The two of them had always been close, much closer than she and Lucy. Mary would never forget the cold look in her eyes when she flat out told Mary that she didn't love her anymore. Looking back, she realized that Lucy had been the only one who seemed to have the tiniest bit of sympathy for her. She had been angry, like the rest of the family, but her anger had been tempered with empathy for her sister, unlike the others.

Mary thought back to all the times that she had felt lonely and depressed back east in Buffalo. Whenever she called home, it was always Lucy who was able to cheer her up, who made her see the positive side of things. It was also Lucy who had pushed her into enrolling at Crawford, the first smart decision she had made in a long time. 

Suddenly, Mary realized how much she really loved her sister, how good of a friend she had during the good times and the bad. Lying in bed, she began to feel guilty about all the times she laughed at her sister and her concerns that seemed so silly to Mary. What would she do if Lucy didn't pull through the accident? Mary became conscious that she was in danger of losing her best friend, and that she was entirely to blame.


	5. The Next Morning

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the 7th Heaven series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.  
  
None of these characters belong to me, they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda.  
  
******  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
The next morning Mary slowly opened her eyes to find herself back in the room that she and Lucy had shared practically all their lives. Her pounding head and stiff, achy body only served to remind her that everything that had gone on last night was real. It had not just been some kind of bad dream where suddenly you wake up and find that everything is all right.  
  
As she slowly made her way down the hallway to the bathroom, she heard voices downstairs. It was Matt and her father, they were arguing about something. Mary had heard enough yelling and screaming last night at the hospital. She continued on to the bathroom where she started running a nice, hot bubble bath to relax and cleanse herself in.  
  
*****  
  
It was 6am when Matt had decided to head over to the hospital. He had hardly slept a wink all night. He thought that the doctors should have some news about Lucy by now, and anyway, it wasn't good for Mom to be by herself for so long in this kind of situation. He knew his Dad said she was being taken care of, but family is important, especially in moments like these.  
  
On arrival at the hospital, he had gone directly to the Intensive Care Unit. His years as an orderly at the hospital had gained him a few friends in different wards. He only hoped that one of the nurses or doctors he had befriended would be on duty.  
  
"Hello, I'm looking for Lucy Camden," Matt said to the receptionist manning the ICU station.  
  
"Okay, that name does seem to ring a bell, let me take a look," replied the receptionist. After digging around in the various charts, she replied, "Oh yes! I remember Dr. Glass mentioning something about this patient this morning. Are you a member of the family?"  
  
"Yes, I'm her brother, and I also used to work at this hospital. Now, can you please tell me how my sister's doing? Or better yet, let me take a look at her chart. I'm studying medicine myself. I'm in my first year at Crawford. I'm hoping to specialize in gynecology or obstetrics, but there are just so many options," rambled on Matt, as he smiled charmingly at the young, blonde receptionist. "plus, emergency care is beginning to look more and more interesting to me."  
  
"That's nice and all, but I can't authorize you to look at a patient's chart. If you want to see your sister, she's in recovery. I'll page Dr. Glass and she'll be right in to update you on your sister's condition."  
  
"Thanks a lot," replied Matt. "You know, I don't think we ever met while I was working here. Perhaps we could have a cup of coffee during your break or something?"  
  
"Umm. I don't think that would really be a good idea. I mean, you should really be with your family at a time like this, don't you think" replied the receptionist. Even though Matt didn't know who she was, she had certainly heard stories about him. Plus the note in red pen on Lucy's chart about an incident with her mother did not exactly bode well for the Camden family.  
  
"Okay, well, I'll check back later in case you change your mind," said Matt as he made his way down the hall in search of his sister.  
  
*****  
  
When Matt reached the recovery area, a surly nurse told him that visits were limited to ten minutes and that his sister was lucky to have Dr. Glass looking out for her.  
  
Matt pulled aside the curtain and there lay Lucy. He hardly recognized her with all the tubes and machines. She was still unconscious from the surgery, but he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. He only hoped that she would somehow feel his presence.  
  
"Hi, you must be Matt Camden," said a young woman as she held out her hand for him to shake.  
  
Matt was surprised to find himself shaking the hand of this pretty, young brunette. "Hi, I guess you're one of my sister's nurses then?" questioned Matt, although he knew that ICU nurses wore purple scrubs and she was wearing a lab coat, usually reserved for doctors.  
  
"No, actually I'm Doctor Glass. Your sister was brought to the ER last night and I've been treating her."  
  
"Oh," said Matt suddenly feeling embarrassed. "It's just that I was expecting a man, or at least someone older, and."  
  
" Less pretty?" added Dr. Glass.  
  
"Ummm, I guess you could put it that way," replied Matt regaining a bit of his confidence.  
  
"Well, would you like to hear about your sister's condition or is flirting all that's on your mind this morning?"  
  
"What?" said Matt stupidly.  
  
"Never mind. Let's head over to the waiting room and I'll tell you about your sister's condition."  
  
"Okay, but first of all, I'd like to find my mother, Annie Camden. I'm sure she'd like to know how Lucy is doing. Is she sleeping somewhere in the hospital? Did you find a spare room for her?"  
  
"Oh did we ever!" thought Dr. Glass, but replied instead, "Your father didn't tell you about what happened last night?" Dr. Glass noticed the dandruff that fell to Matt's shoulders as he shook his head no. "Well," she sighed, "I guess there's no easy way to say this, but your mother was sent to the psychiatric ward last night after attempting to physically attack your father, myself and a nurse. She was given a sedative and she should be released later this morning, barring any further incidents."  
  
"What!?!" screeched Matt. "My mother would never attack anyone, least of all her own husband and medical personnel. If someone should be in the psychiatric ward, I think it should be you!"  
  
"Everyone deals with stress differently, Mr. Camden. Your mother had a violent reaction and we did what was necessary. I'm sorry, but I don't really have any further time to waste, I've got other patients to tend to. I guess I'll talk to you or your father later about Lucy's condition"  
  
With that she turned and walked down the hall. Even though he didn't really like this woman, Matt couldn't help but watch her as she walked away. And he definitely liked what he saw.  
  
*****  
  
At around 8am, Matt stormed into the house to find his father drinking a cup of coffee alone in the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning, Matt," said Eric tiredly. "Where have you been?"  
  
Matt didn't say a word as he took a swing at his father, hitting him square on the cheek and knocking the coffee cup and its contents to the floor. 'You bastard! How could you have done this to her!" screamed Matt.  
  
Eric did not reply. He simply stooped down to pick up the pieces of the broken coffee mug. No sense in anyone else getting hurt around here.  
  
"I said, how could you do this to your own wife!" Matt continued as he pushed his father back down into a chair. "You, who always said family is first, you, who taught us to take care of one another, you, who preaches every Sunday that we are all one family under God. And you go and have your wife committed to a psychiatric ward!" yelled Matt, "Who are you? You are not my father! You are a hypocrite and a liar!"  
  
Eric whispered, "You don't know your mother, not the way I do."  
  
"No, I think you've got it the wrong way around. It's you who doesn't know anything about Mom, about any of us," growled Matt. "I'm going back to the hospital to be with my family."  
  
Eric watched as his eldest son slammed the back door. He then heard the screech of tires as Matt drove away. Suddenly everything that happened overtook him and he started to cry. He felt the sting of the blow Matt had thrown at him, but what hurt most were his son's words. "A hypocrite," Eric murmured to himself, "that's exactly what I am."  
  
In his hand, he held the pieces of the coffee cup. Broken up, just like his family. 


	6. Comfort

I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
This fanfic is not based on one specific episode, but rather on a string of different plot lines we've seen over the years. I have always preferred Mary to Lucy in the 7th Heaven series, but lately the writers have turned her into such a bimbo that she's ridiculed by everyone, most of all her family. This work is focused on Mary and I've tried to being some humanity back to her.  
  
None of these characters belong to me, they are sole property of the WB or Brenda Hampton. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I was inspired to write this fanfic by the good people over at the Television Without Pity site.  
  
*****  
  
Mary came downstairs wrapped in a fluffy blue bathrobe. When she walked into the kitchen she saw her father sitting on the floor, a broken coffee cup in his hand. As she came closer she saw that his hand was bleeding. "What happened?" Mary asked, concerned about the way her father sat staring into space like someone had knocked the sense out of him. "Come on Dad, let me clean that cut up for you."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Mary, what did you say?" said Reverend Camden distractedly.  
  
"I said, you'd better let me wash that cut for you. Are you all right Dad? Where's Matt?"  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. The cut's nothing really. I just dropped my coffee cup. Silly me. " he trailed off.  
  
"Come on, let me take care of that for you," said Mary as she led him to the sink. Once she had washed off the cut and bandaged it, she turned to her father and asked, "Where's Matt? I thought I heard you guys talking this morning?"  
  
"Matt's at the hospital already. I told him to go on ahead, that the rest of us would meet him there later," lied Reverend Camden. He figured this morning's scuffle was best kept between the two of them. "Well, I'd better get dressed so we can get over to the hospital. Thanks for the bandage, Mary," said Eric as he started walking upstairs.  
  
"Dad?" Mary asked softly.  
  
"Yes Mary," replied Reverend Camden.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you about last night. I want you to know that I am so sorry and if anything happens to Lucy." Mary trailed off.  
  
"I know, Mary," said Eric as he took his daughter in his arms doing his best to comfort her.  
  
"It's just that I don't know what's happened to me Dad," choked Mary between sobs. "When did I turn into such a bad person?"  
  
"Mary, sweetheart, you are not a bad person!"  
  
"All I have done over the past couple of years is screw things up," sobbed Mary, "and now look. I've even managed to put my sister in the hospital! I know that Mom will never forgive me once she finds out the truth. Matt probably won't either. Sometimes I wish I would just die. It should have been me in the hospital instead of Lucy. No one would miss a loser like me."  
  
"Honey, please stop talking like that," said Eric soothingly. "Even good people make mistakes sometimes. And even if your mother and Matt are angry, that doesn't change their love for you. No one wants you dead, we love you just as much as Lucy or any other member of the family."  
  
"I don't know Dad. I don't know."  
  
Eric held his oldest daughter in his arms doing his best to comfort her. 


End file.
